Girl Talk
by hunterwolf11
Summary: Sequel to Leveling the Playing Field. It's on its way to B/B RST. Cam, Angela, and Brennan discuss the events in my aforementioned story. Strong T for sexual allusions but nothing more than what the show gives us. Set before S4


A/N: I decided to write a sequel to Leveling the Playing Field. So, here it is. I really prefer a good UST laden story versus what I've got going here, but as I started to write it the Angela in me (which is funny as my given name is Angella, yeah, spelled funky) took over. Hope what I've got posted so far works for you. But, I'll never know if you don't review! (Hint, love it or hate it or meh it, please review)

Angela sauntered in to her friend's office with a self satisfied smirk. She and Hodgins had been comforting each other all weekend. And what a weekend! Though she was feeling terrible about the reason comfort was needed, life did indeed have to go on. Angela was hoping to remind Brennan about how satisfying the comfort of a man could be in trying times.

Brennan was working away at her computer, typing furiously, so Angela paused a moment to consider her. Her forehead was creased in concentration and her mouth was slightly agape as she stared at her monitor. Angela knew that look.

"Hey, you're writing again!" During Booth's absence Brennan had been working herself into the ground in the lab but hadn't written a single paragraph on her new book despite her editor's frequent calls.

Brennan jumped slightly and turned, "How does everyone always know when I'm writing?"

The artist crossed her arms and shifted most of her weight to her back foot, "Well, the non-stop typing was a clue. I knew you weren't filling out forms or googling the latest pop culture reference you didn't get. Plus, when you're writing you always look..." Here her face scrunched a little, trying to find an apt description. "Well, you kinda look like a kid who stuck their finger into a socket. Confused, surprised, and yet awed by the power." She shrugged, it was the best she could come up with.

Brennan turned her head to the right slightly and smirked. "Dr. Hodgins gave me a similar description once. I think he mentioned a knife and a toaster though."

Ah, the perfect opening. Angela slid into the chair opposite Brennan's desk and leaned forward, "Speaking of Hodgie, we had an amazing weekend! We went down to the..." Angela's voice trailed off as she spied something odd on the anthropologist's desk.

Brennan had started to turn back to her writing, fully expecting an R-rated account of her friend's weekend, but when the artist had stopped speaking she turned back, afraid she had offended her.

"Sweetie...why do you have Booth's poker chip on your desk?" The voice was mostly teasing but held an unmistakable undertone of hope.

"Oh, that. He left it at my place last night and I figured he'd want it back."

A smile erupted onto Angela's face immediately but she tried to keep her tone as neutral as she possibly could, "Booth was at...your place last night? Maybe, comforting you? Maybe the chip fell out when you ripped his pants off?"

"What? Ange, no. I thought you'd given up on your obsession with us." Despite Brennan's protestations Angela noted the beginnings of a blush on the normally cool doctor's face.

Angela shook her head in mock sadness and gave a fake apologetic smile, "Sorry, sweetie. It just got shoved onto a back burner while Jack and I are hunting down my husband. So, if you weren't ripping his pants off, how'd he lose the chip?"

"I honestly don't know. I found it on my floor last night after he and my father left."

"Wait, your dad was there? Ok, definitely no funny business."

Brennan studied her friend speculatively, "Well, no. Booth did see me naked, though."

Cam was just starting into Brennan's office in time to hear that last part. "Whoa! Goodbye, I'll come back later!" She spun on her heels as she spoke and covered her ears.

Brennan leapt to her feet. This was why she shouldn't let Angela influence her into saying things she normally wouldn't. "Cam! Come back, it's not like I slept with him." She followed Cam quickly out into the lab proper.

Dropping her hands and stopping, the pathologist turned back to face Brennan. "No, no, I mean, if you did, I don't care, that's great...well, I guess that would be up to you if it's great but...I mean I know he's usually...actually, I'm gonna let you talk now, cause I was just a little surprised to hear that, and now I'm rambling...and yeah, you talk."

During Cam's rather loud response Brennan had gone still and was simply staring at Cam with a look she usually reserved for bone anomalies. Angela knew her friend well enough to know that no words would be forthcoming for a few moments while she processed what had just happened. She moved to stand between the two and spoke quietly, "People are staring, why don't we all smile and laugh and go back into the office before we say anything else, ok?"

Brennan perked up at that, as she tended to do when someone offered a solution to a problem she was unequipped to handle on her own. "Yes, let's go discuss that uh, interesting idea, in my office." Her voice was unnaturally loud and forced along with her smile.

Cam and Angela locked eyes and grimaced at each other, trying unsuccessfully to make them look like smiles. As the trio moved back into the office Angela shut the door and started laughing. "Great, now everyone is going to think we have a lesbian love triangle going on."

"What? That doesn't make any sense. Why would they think that?"

Cam shook her head, "Just let it go, Dr. Brennan."

"No, no, I'll just go out there and inform them that I happen to like male genitalia so at least that part doesn't get confused."

The other two women's eyes widened and they simultaneously moved to block the door and shouted, "No!"

"That'll just convince everyone of the opposite, sweetie. Let's just forget that, sit, and discuss the poker chip, and Booth seeing you naked, yeah?" Angela was nodding rapidly, hoping to convince her friend.

Brennan returned to her office chair with a huff. "It was nothing, really. I was taking a bath and he walked in."

Angela and Cam both leaned forward on the couch where they had just sat down, "He what?"

Brennan looked back and forth between them. "Well, I had walked in on him taking a bath earlier so he was just getting back at me."

Cam snorted, "What are you two? Five?"

Angela held up her index finger to her boss, "You, quiet." Turning to Brennan she continued without missing a beat and pointed, "You, expound."

Cam's head drew back and she opened her mouth to speak with a thoroughly insulted and superior expression. "Hey, I am your boss, you know."

"Yeah, but you walked into a girl talk session that I'm dying to finish, so shush."

Hoping to deflect the irritation that comment was likely to bring, Brennan broke in, "That's really all there was to it. My dad came home and he and Booth talked and then he left. Booth left, then my dad left. Then I found the poker chip and decided to bring it in today since...I know how attached he is to it...what?"

The two women on the couch were staring at her slack-jawed again. Finally, Cam spoke up. "Did your dad know Booth had seen you?"

"Yes, I don't understand everyone's distress over that. Booth was afraid he was going to get crucified. My dad knows I'm not a teenager anymore and that nothing will ever happen with Booth and me anyway, so what's the big deal?"

Angela cocked her head to the side once as if conceding a point, "Well, to be fair, Booth wouldn't be the first one your dad has crucified."

"He was found not guilty though." Brennan smiled smugly.

Cam paused a second before responding skeptically, "That doesn't really mean he _was_ not guilty, though."

Angela shook her head to free the unimportant thoughts; Brennan had said something else which she was far more interested in, "Wait, why do you say you and Booth will never happen?"

"Angela! You know Cam is uncomfortable discussing this, probably due to her past sexual relationship with him." Brennan was shifting in her seat whereas Cam was still leaning forward.

"No, I'm actually ok with this now. It was just walking into the conversation without warning that was uncomfortable. In fact," The pathologist glanced at Angela and winked, "I'm actually very interested in your answer."

The wink startled Angela, she had always seen Cam as a possible obstacle in her mission to hook up her best friend with the FBI agent. Could she be on her side?

"Booth drew a line between us and said we could never cross it. That it's too dangerous in our line of work." Brennan could be proud of the fact that she had been able to spit that out without betraying a hint of the hurt and rejection she felt whenever she thought about that damn line. Her companions responses were not what she had expected though. Angela was looking at her like she was mentally challenged and Cam actually started laughing out loud.

"Seeley Booth, you have outsmarted yourself!" Cam continued laughing even as she spoke, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, really, it's just...that's a classic Booth move to get what he wants."

Brennan nodded slowly, "Yes, he didn't want us to sleep together, but I don't see how that's so funny."

Angela lowered her head into her hands and shook her head slowly. "No, sweetie. Think of it as a classic, yet juvenile mating ritual."

"I know what that means...but yet, I guess I don't know what that means."

Cam had managed to compose herself enough to explain, "What it means is that people tend to want what they can't have. By making himself clearly unavailable to you he was hoping it would make you want to be with him."

Angela turned to Cam, "He really should have known that wouldn't work on Bren, though."

"It always was his last approach. He must have gotten desperate."

"He must have been. She's so literal there's no way that would work, and it didn't, obviously."

"I'm still here, you know." Brennan looked annoyed and flustered. "And he couldn't have been desperate, he'd just broken up with you."

"Oooh." Brennan recognized that response though she usually equated it with a man's reaction to a bad play in sports. She was also becoming quite unnerved by the pair's simultaneous responses. It felt rehearsed. Or like she was missing something obvious. Could they be right?

Angela placed a hand on Cam's shoulder. "Sorry, Cam."

To her credit, Cam merely looked with surprise at the artist. "No, no. I knew what was going on, it was obvious from the beginning. I mean, I was hoping it'd last a little longer and I was a little jealous back then, but now I'm just as sick of this dance as all of you." Angela patted her shoulder again but any further conversation was halted by a quick knock and the door swinging open.

"Hey Bones, we've got a...oh, uh, hi ladies. Sorry, was I interrupting some sort of girl talk?" Booth flashed a teasing grin which faltered into a nervous one as all three women stared at him with unreadable expressions.

Brennan could take it no longer. She was going to stop this once and for all and stood up facing Booth. Her voice was confused and plaintive, "Do you want to have sex with me?"

--

No, I don't think Booth would be that shallow with the line thing, at least, not with Brennan. I've known other guys who've done this though, lol. So far I've just given "the girls" interpretation of it. It will be addressed further.


End file.
